Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Laboring and Prospering with the Lord

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

Boaz Redeems Ruth

4 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, ^(A)the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, ^[a]friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of ^(B)the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land ^(C)which belonged to our brother Elimelech. ⁴ And I thought to ^[b]inform you, saying, ^(D)‘Buy it back ^(E)in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if ^[c]you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; ^(F)for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’ ”

And he said, “I will redeem it.”

⁵ Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, ^(G)to ^[d]perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

^6 (H)And the close relative said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

^7 (I)Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.

⁸ Therefore the close relative said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself.” So he took off his sandal. ⁹ And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, from the hand of Naomi. ¹⁰ Moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, the widow of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance, ^(J)that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brethren and from ^[e]his position at the gate. You are witnesses this day.”

Christ in Our Place

⁶ For when we were still without strength, ^[a]in due time ^(A)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸ But ^(B)God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified ^(C)by His blood, we shall be saved ^(D)from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For ^(E)if when we were enemies ^(F)we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved ^(G)by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also ^(H)rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.